MEPX
Chapter 10 of 10All chapters
  1. 1Before modern science
  2. 2The scientific revolution
  3. 3Chemistry and the elements
  4. 4Life sciences
  5. 5Modern physics
  6. 6The molecular era
  7. 7Computing and mathematics
  8. 8Astronomy and space
  9. 9Medicine and public health
  10. 10What the record shows

Chapter 10 of 10

What the record shows

Beyond the great man story.

Collective work

Named discoveries usually summarise networks of collaborators, technicians and rivals. Stigler's law observes that discoveries are often named after someone other than the discoverer.

  • Prizes cap laureates at three, which distorts the history.
  • Replication and criticism matter more than individual brilliance.

Being wrong well

Newton spent years on alchemy, Einstein resisted quantum indeterminacy, and Pauling proposed a wrong DNA structure. Science advances by correction, which requires publishing enough to be corrected.